1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a deflector mechanism which is mounted on a sunroof apparatus in a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of a sunroof apparatus provided at the opening of a roof of a vehicle is a configuration disclosed in Japan Patent No. 4313399. The sunroof apparatus disclosed in Japan Patent No. 4313399 mainly comprises a pair of guide rails, a frame which interconnects the front ends of the guide rails, a sunroof panel which moves along the guide rails, a driving device which moves the sunroof panel, a cable which links the driving device with the sunroof panel, and a deflector mechanism formed at the front edge of the opening of the roof in an ascendable/descendible manner. The deflector mechanism is provided in order to suppress a low-frequency uncomfortable vibration sound which is referred to as a wind throb and which is generated when a vehicle runs with the sunroof panel being opened.
The deflector mechanism according to Japan Patent No. 4313399 has, as shown in FIG. 4 of this publication, a deflector having a pair of arms and a blade (a deflecting plate) that connects these arms together, a pair of support members which are formed at respective guide rails and which support the basal ends of the arms through pins, a retainer attached to the frame, and urging means (coil springs) which are provided across the deflector and respective retainers and which urge the deflector upwardly.
Since the deflector mechanism disclosed in Japan Patent No. 4313399 is a separate member from the frame and the retainer, and the retainer is fixed to the frame by means of a bolt and a nut, the number of components increases, the assembling step becomes complex, and the production cost increases.
The present invention is made in order to overcome such a problem, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a deflector mechanism for a sunroof apparatus which can reduce the number of parts, assembling processes, and further the production cost.